Saskatoon Minute: Snow Clearing, Warming Centres, and Library Project Renderings

Saskatoon Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Saskatoon politics

This Week In Saskatoon:

• Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a day to support causes that make a difference. If you appreciate the work we do and want to help us continue advocating for common sense at City Hall, we’d be grateful for your support. We don’t usually make an explicit ask in these emails, but given that we’re a non-profit and don’t take a dime of government funding, we rely on your support to keep us going. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so by clicking here. Thank you!
  
  
• Today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, at 9:30 am each day, City Council will meet to discuss the budget. Administration is recommending a 5.84% increase in property taxes.
  
  
• A temporary smudge location set up for vulnerable people in Saskatoon is being dismantled after its permit expired. The space, which offered a place for people to take part in smudging ceremonies and warm up by a ceremonial fire, was frequented daily by dozens of people. The City of Saskatoon issued a removal order under the Nuisance and Property Maintenance bylaw. Fire officials deemed the structure unsafe.

Last Week In Saskatoon:

• The City decided not to clear residential roads after the recent snowfall, as mobility was still manageable, and cost-cutting measures were deemed necessary. Activating the emergency snow response plan would have cost between $18 million and $20 million. Despite meeting the threshold for the plan with 25 cm of snow accumulation, the City chose not to activate the full response. Complaints emerged from residents with smaller vehicles getting stuck, but the City's snow removal budget has already been stretched due to previous snow events.
  
  
• Council approved a $200,000 contribution to a $1.2-million project aimed at providing emergency warming centres for the homeless during the winter. The Winter Navigation and Warming Centres initiative is a collaborative effort involving the City, government agencies, and community groups. The City is also working on a long-term homelessness action plan that will require significant funding from provincial and federal governments.
  
  
• A new design and artist renderings have been released for the Saskatoon downtown library project. The redesigned library will be a four-floor building covering 124,860 square feet, with a $134-million budget. Groundbreaking occurred in June, and the library is expected to open in 2027.